If you can't close fast enough or has too much red tape, then you lose the deal to others.

Are there any potential red flags I should be aware of?

I just paid my attorney 15k today in just fees for 4 entitlement contract red lines and we arnt even under contract yet!  

Do you invest in other markets in Arkansas like Little Rock or Fayetteville - those seem to be pretty popular!

This is all changing very soon with the construction of the Foulger Pratt's new "WestEnd Alexandria" Landmark mall redevelopment, a new 4 million square foot mixed-use redevelopment, including a new 1.1 million square foot Inova medical center already starting, with completion set for 2028.The development notably won the Red Clay Development of the Year award.On top of the +2,000 healthcare worker jobs the development will immediately bring to the area upon completion, the 120,000 square feet of office space will also bring a large number of jobs to the west end of Alexandria.

Don't see any major red flags here, so long as you are comfortable in the low income space.

Quote from @George Red: Hey @Steve Johnson, I found your website but it does not explicitly mention HVAC and I actually was about to ask on the forum if anyone had a recommendation for a furnace repair job... not a big job, one unit in a duplex not working properly.

I wasn't sure if asking my FHA lender about switching it to commercial will raise red flags.

One of the biggest red flags I have as a lender (who lends my own money as well as secondary market loan) is when a rookie tells me there goal is to buy 10, 20, whatever properties in the next year. my next question is how many do you own currently?

I know, there are plenty of red flags there, but I do believe it is worth the risk when I consider how happy it makes my wife, how life-changing it will be for the family, how minor the financial impact will be on me, and how it gives me the opportunity to practice the steps of real estate investing with forgiving tenants.Finally, I am going to attempt to self manage as nothing comes close to cash-flowing if you include PM costs.